I spent three years selling dining tables to pay my way through university. After being immersed in the table world - sleek ones, cheap ones, coloured ones, stupidly expensive ones - I couldn't wait to buy my own. Yet, when the important moment finally arrived and I came home with a pine table from Ikea, I felt somewhat underwhelmed.

Being a bit of a geek when it comes to home interiors, I had spent considerable time researching the options for my big purchase. Faced with an endless array of possibilities, I made a shortlist. The top three were: a fantastic 50s Americana-style diner; Habitat's simple yet comforting Massello oak table; and the dramatic Amari table from BoConcept. But while I may have had the ideas, I certainly didn't have the bank balance to make them a reality. Panic not, I thought. A big, blue Swedish box would provide a solution.

The original Ikea table. PR

Although the Ikea table suited my budget, it didn't say much about me. I'm a firm believer in the idea of our homes as physical canvases, which detail our diverse personalities and experiences. So I decided to get crafty on my new purchase. Hoping to rid the table of all references to ski chalets and saunas, I started collecting offcuts of wallpapers whenever they caught my eye.

As my collection grew, I decided to focus on the tabletop - after all, it's the part of a table we always see. I used different wallpapers to make a patchwork of rich colours and patterns, borrowing from the geometric effect of the 50s table. The introduction of colour added warmth and charm, while a modern palette for the table legs and the chairs tied the set together.

A lack of funds gave me a table that is a mix of all three of my original favourites. This is a table that can be used for working, entertaining and, well, just generally swooning over.

What it costs

I bought a basic pine table for £25, but this project would work on any table with a suitable surface for attaching wallpaper.

The wallpaper squares were free, as I collected samples from shops and offcuts from friends and family.

I paid around £8 for a pot of varnish, which was suitable for use on both the wallpapered and the painted surfaces, and £7 for a tin of PVA glue.

What you need

A tableA selection of wallpaper samples/offcutsVarnish with a dead flat finish (suitable for use on wallpaper and paint)Strong and waterproof PVA glueFine grain sandpaperPrimerMatt wood paintScissorsPaintbrushRulerScrap piece of cardChairs (optional)A setsquare (optional)

What to do

The table set for breakfast. Photograph: Will Taylor

1. Use a fine grain sandpaper to sand all the surfaces you want to stick paper to or paint over. Wipe these surfaces with a damp cloth to ensure they are clean and free from any debris.

2. Use leftover white emulsion or an undercoat primer on all the surfaces you plan to paint (the table legs, the trim of the tabletop and all over the chairs). This will provide a surface for the matt wood paint to stick to.

3. While the undercoat dries, measure the tabletop and divide the area into equal-sized squares (or other shapes, if you fancy something a little different to mine).

4. Once you know the size each square needs to be, use a setsquare to cut out a piece of card this size - this will be your template. Use it to draw around when cutting out all the other squares. It's worth taking a bit of time to make sure the squares are equal sizes and neatly cut - it makes a real difference when it comes to sticking them down. If the squares are curling in on themselves, lay them under some heavy books for a few hours to flatten them out.

5. When the undercoat is dry, paint the table legs and chairs in your desired colour(s). Make sure you overlap by a centimetre or so over the top of the tabletop to ensure that there are no unpainted/wallpapered gaps when the table is finished.

6. Now all the painting is done, it's safe to start wallpapering the tabletop. Lay out all the squares and decide which pattern you want to go for. So you remember where each square was placed, either take a photograph or number the backs.

7. Start in one of the top corners. Brush PVA glue over a space slightly larger than one square, then stick down your first wallpaper square. Line it up with the edge of the table and gently smooth over to remove any air bubbles. Repeat until the tabletop is fully covered. Don't overload the tabletop with the glue: if you add too much, it will all squash out of the sides when you smooth it down.

8. Once the glue has dried, varnish the tabletop, legs and chairs using a special decorator's varnish for wallpapered and painted surfaces. This will protect your table and chairs from any scratches and light spillages.